Blog Post             Another new study on Vertebral Body Tethering (VBT)                 10-8-2021

 

This study comes from the San Diego group, who have a long, cautious experience with VBT.

 

 

23 patients whose mean age at surgery was 12.2 +/- 1.6 years

Preoperatively:

Mean curve 53 +/- 8 degrees

All were Risser 0-1, Sanders 2-3 at surgery

Minimum follow-up after surgery of 2 years, with mean follow-up of 3.4 years +/-1.1 years

 

Results:

1.      Scoliosis correction correlated with overall height change, mainly within 2-3 years postop in Risser 0 patients.

2.      Sanders 2 group corrected at twice the rate as the Sanders 3 group (2.8 degrees/year vs. 1.2 degrees/year)

a.      In Sanders 2 patients deformity correction decreased after 3 years postoperatively

b.      In Sanders 3 patients deformity correction decreased after 2 years postoperatively

This will help with decision making when determining optimal therapeutic interventions, and the timing of VBT surgeries.